Hanging By A Moment
by ItsWhatIWrite
Summary: My take on how Gabby was rescued from the elevator and what happened afterwards. One-shot.


**Hanging By A Moment**

_**My take on how Gabby is rescued from the elevator and what happens afterwards.**_

"Fuck!"

The elevator doors were jammed shut.

Antonio punched the closed elevator doors with the side of his fist, not at all fazed by the pain that shot through his hand. He ran a hand through his hair and turned around to face rest of the crew, "Get the fire department here. Now!" He didn't need to clarify that it was to be the crew from Fifty-One.

He checked the time on his wrist and sighed, considering Gabby was supposed to have been at work half an hour ago, they were probably all wondering where she was.

He pushed past Voight and ran up the steps, taking them two at a time until he was back on the floor where the doors were open. He pushed a few more people out of his way and ran over towards the open elevator shaft. "Gabby!" He called down.

Gabby looked up, trying her best to look past the bloodied body of Gish. "What's going on?" She wasn't stupid. She knew the doors were stuck.

"The doors are stuck, we're gonna get you out of there as soon as we can, ok?" It was hard to really get a good look at her from so far away. "Are you ok? Did he do anything to you?"

Gabby shook her head, "No, no, I'm fine." She coughed, "the gasoline…" She could feel herself starting to feel lightheaded but tried to shake it off. It was just her nerves getting the best of her. She was fine. She was.

"I know, I know…the fire department is on their way."

_Matt. _Gabby thought instantly. She nodded and put a hand up against the side of the elevator, trying to support herself. "I'm just gonna…I'm gonna sit down."

"Gabby!" Antonio yelled. "I need you to stay where I can see you. Ok?"

He heard the sirens approaching and within minutes there was a stampede of firemen running towards him, Matt leading the pack. "Antonio! What's going on? What happened?" He peered down the elevator shaft, "Gabby!" His worries subsided ever so slightly when she looked up at him. "Are you ok?"

Gabby nodded, "I just want to get out of here!"

"I'm on my way down, just hold on, ok?"

"Casey," Severide started, "don't you think maybe someone from squad should..."

"No," Matt said cutting Severide off. "I'm going to go down and get her." He cut his glare over to Chief Boden, "You're not objecting, are you?"

Chief shook his head, he knew there was no use in arguing. Had it been his wife down there, he knew he would be the one going down to get her. "No."

"Good. Let's get started."

Just a couple of minutes later and Matt was being lowered into the shaft. As soon as his feet touched the top of the elevator car, he kicked away the limp body of Gish—or whatever his name was, and turned his attention to Gabby. He relaxed, finally able to see for himself that she was ok. A little shaken up. But physically, she looked to be ok. "Hey."

Despite the tears threatening to fall, Gabby managed a smile. "Hey."

"We can't both fit through this so I'm going to jump down and hoist you up in here and then I'll hoist myself back up, ok?"

Gabby nodded and took a step back, giving Matt room to lower himself into the elevator. He coughed as the gasoline fumes invaded his lungs. "Fucking psycho," he muttered. It was then that he noted the pale color of Gabby's face and how hard she was holding onto the side of the elevator. "We need to get you out of here now."

All he wanted to do was hold her in his arms but he knew he had to wait until they were out of the elevator and out of harm's way. "Come on." He placed a hand on each side of Gabby, "Let go of the wall, I got you."

On the first try, Matt managed to hoist Gabby up enough where she was able to climb out of the elevator. He heard a sob fall from her lips and knew her eyes were on Gish. "He's dead, Gabby. He's dead," Matt assured her. "Ok, boys! Pull me up," he said into his radio. They pulled him up enough to where he could pull himself through the small hole. "Ok! That's good!"

Gabby was on her hands and knees gasping for air and Matt dropped to his knees in front of her. "Hey," he whispered, "you're almost there, ok? I'm going to secure you to me and we're going to get the hell out of here. Just think of it as a drill, ok?"

Gabby nodded, "Ok."

"Can you stand up for me?"

"I think so."

Matt took Gabby's hands in his, the cold clammy feeling of her hands catching him off guard. She was shaking. He slipped a hand around her waist and pulled her to him, ensuring she was upright and used his other hand to grab his radio. "Mills and Brett, I need you guys to be on standby."

"Standby?" Antonio repeated. "What the hell is going on?"

Severide shook his head, "It is just routine. She's probably a little shaken up and then with the fumes from the gasoline she might be feeling a little lightheaded."

Antonio nodded and along with the Chief, Severide, Erin and Voight all turned their attention back to the scene down below.

After checking and double checking to make sure Gabby was secure against him, he kissed her forehead and looked up, "Ok! Get us out of here, boys!" The grip Gabby had on him didn't go unnoticed and he looked back down, meeting her eyes. "Hey…I've got you, I promise."

Gabby's entire body was trembling by the time she and Matt were pulled out of the elevator shaft and standing on solid ground. As soon as the harness was removed from her, she fell into her brother's arms.

"Lo siento, lo siento," she whispered.

Antonio shook his head and held the back of Gabby's head with one hand, pulling her closer to him. "No tienes nada que lamentar." Gabby's body started to shake in his arms and he kissed the side of her head. "Estas bien," he assured her. "Te tengo." His eyes met Matt's and they shared a similar look of relief. He pulled back just enough to get a good look at Gabby, taking in her pale complexion. "Let's get you checked out, ok?"

Gabby shook her head, "I'm fine, I'm fine." Suddenly realizing the concerned audience that had crowded around her, Gabby pushed herself out of her brother's arms, intent on letting everyone see that she was indeed fine. But as soon as she took a step back, she felt lightheaded and reached out for something to grab a hold of. Her hands briefly brushed against the front of Antonio's jacket but she wasn't able to hold on.

Matt watched in horror as Gabby stumbled backwards and right into his arms. He caught her and eased her to the floor, nearly cradling her in his arms. He looked up, his eyes searching for the two paramedics. "Mills! Brett!"

Gabby's eyes were barely open as she tried to focus on something, anything. Despite the fuzzy image, she could see the look of concern on Matt's face. "Matt…" she mumbled, her head lulling just a bit.

"It's ok, I've got you…I've still got you."

Antonio dropped to the other side of Gabby, and held her face in his hands, "Gabriela! Just keep your eyes open, ok?"

"My crew!" Voight called. "Let's give them space and get this place closed off!" He gave Antonio's a shoulder a comforting squeeze before turning and directing Erin and Jay to get in touch with the landlord of the building.

"Let's get her on the stretcher," Mills said, settling the board next to Gabby.

Managing a second wind, Gabby shook her head, "I'm fine, I can walk." She tried to push herself up but stopped when Antonio blocked her movements.

"Gabriela, for once, just do what someone asks you to do, ok?"

Gabby gave a slight nod and relaxed as much as she could, allowing Mills and Brett to secure her onto the stretcher. She lost Matt's touch as he stepped back to give the two paramedics room and looked up at him.

He understood her worries, "Don't worry, I'm coming with you."

An hour later, Gabby was sitting on an exam bed with her feet dangling from the side. She'd already been given some clothes that did not reek of gasoline and had eagerly changed into them. Messing with the small patch of gauze on her arm where the nurse had drawn some blood, she waited impatiently for the doctor on call to give her the all clear to leave.

She didn't really understand their reasoning to draw blood but didn't have the energy to question it. After asking her half a dozen times if she was sure she was ok, Antonio had hugged and kissed her another half a dozen times before leaving to head back to the station with the promise that he would call her later that night.

It wasn't like he'd left her all alone, though. As soon as he left the room, Matt had entered. Despite his urge to pull her back into his arms, Matt took a seat next to her bed, giving her some space. Though most people would believe the tough act Gabby was putting up right now, he could see right through it.

He cleared his throat and sat up straight, catching her questioning look. "As soon as you've been given the all clear to get the hell out of here, how about dinner? Your choice. I'll even take you to that Thai place you love a couple of blocks from our-" he caught his choice of words and briefly thought about correcting them before deciding that the words were indeed correct "…from our apartment."

Gabby thought about it, her eyes never leaving Matt's. She gave a small nod, "Only if we can get it to-go. I just want to go home."

Matt smiled, "Works for me." He sighed and mustered up the courage to move from his chair and take a seat next to her on the bed. "You know," he started, taking her hand in his. "Shay would be so proud of you." Gabby shook her head and dropped her gaze to her lap. "And she would want you to stop feeling so guilty."

Eyes full of tears, Gabby's head shot up and met Matt's look of concern. "How did you…" she shook her head and wiped at the tears before they could escape. "Never mind. Severide told you, didn't he?"

Matt shook his head, "Not _never mind._ You need to stop blaming yourself, Gabby." He sighed and briefly closed his eyes as he silently chose his next words carefully. "It _wasn't _your fault. Leslie did not die because of you. She died because of Gish. I _need _you to understand that."

"It's just…when I was in that elevator, it was almost like everything had come full circle. You know? There I was, about to…" she choked back a sob. "The one who was supposed to die on the verge of dying….like Shay's death…" her words were cut off by a soft knock on the door. She mustered up a smile as the doctor let himself in.

"I hope I'm not interrupting?" Dr. Richards asked.

Gabby shook her head, "No, no, you're fine." She took a breath, "Please tell me I am all clear to go."

Dr. Richards nodded, "I see no reason why you can't go home."

"Thank god," Gabby muttered dropping Matt's hand and jumping down from the bed.

"But I would like to talk to you about something first."

Gabby's heart dropped and she looked up at Matt, the fear in his eyes mirroring the look in hers.

Matt cleared his throat and turned back to Dr. Richards, "Is uh…is everything ok?"

Dr. Richards turned to Gabby, "I'm assuming you don't know?"

"Don't know what?"

"You're pregnant, Miss Dawson."

That was _not _what Gabby was expecting to hear. "I'm sorry, what?"

"You're pregnant, Miss Dawson," Dr. Richards repeated. He tucked his clipboard under his arm, "By my estimates I'd say almost nine weeks."

Gabby stood in silence as she racked her brain trying to remember the last time she and Matt had even been intimate or that last time she'd had her period. She shook her head, it hadn't even occurred to her that she was that late. "I…it didn't even cross my mind." She looked up at Matt, trying to read his thoughts.

He was just as speechless as her.

She turned back to Dr. Richards, "But everything is ok?"

Dr. Richards nodded, "Your blood pressure is a little high but that's to be expected after what you just went through. I've written you a prescription for prenatal vitamins and I suggest that you make an appointment with your OBGYN as soon as you can. But other than that, all I can say is go home and get some rest. Take it easy for a few days."

"Ok, thanks." Gabby numbly took the prescription from Dr. Richards and quickly signed her release forms.

Once Dr. Richards left the room, leaving the newly expectant parents alone with their thoughts, Gabby turned back to Matt. He hadn't said a word since Dr. Richards had told them. "Matt?" she whispered. "Say something, please."

His eyes finally met hers. "You're pregnant?"

"Yeah, I guess so." She sighed and shoved the piece of paper with her prescription on it into her pocket. She waived her release papers, "But I'm free to go…"

He nodded, silently understanding that they would talk about it later. Placing his hand on her lower back, he guided her out of her room. "You do realize you're about to be swarmed by everybody from Fifty-One, right?"

"Well duh, I mean, it's me," she managed to joke.

Just like Matt had said, one by one, everyone pulled Gabby into a hug, all mumbling words of relief into her ear. It took almost twenty minutes, but Matt managed to get Gabby out of the waiting room and towards the elevator. She suddenly stopped right in front of him and he nearly ran into her. He looked down and saw the look of hesitation in her eyes as she stared at the elevator.

"We can take the stairs," he suggested.

But Gabby shook her head, determined to overcome her sudden fear. "No, no, I won't allow him to do this to me." She grabbed Matt's hand and took a deep breath as the elevator dinged, signaling its arrival. The doors opened and she let Matt lead her onto the elevator.

"It's just a few floors, that's all," he whispered as he leaned over and hit the button for the lobby.

While Gabby was being checked over, Matt had asked Severide to head back to the station and pick up his truck so as soon as Gabby was given the all clear to leave, he could just take her straight home. Gabby walked with Matt through the parking garage and didn't even bother to question how Matt had gotten his truck to the hospital.

After ensuring Gabby was settled, Matt shut the passenger side door and hurried around to the other side of his truck and jumped in.

"I have to get my car," Gabby said suddenly, as if she'd just remembered it was still parked out next to the building.

"I got it covered," Matt assured her as his truck rumbled to life.

Gabby nodded and rested her head against the seat. "Are we still stopping for Thai?"

"Absolutely."

"Good. I'm starving."

As Matt drove through the Chicago traffic, Gabby called in the order hoping that it would be ready by the time they got there.

It only took a few minutes for Matt to run in and get the food but by the time he came back out, Gabby had fallen asleep with her head leaning up against the passenger side window. He decided to let her sleep and secured the bags of takeout in the console between them before pulling back out onto the street.

Matt unlocked the door and pushed it open, stepping aside to let Gabby in. She crossed her arms and glanced around the apartment, it still looked the same—maybe a little less clean, but still the same. "I've missed this place," she admitted, turning and looking at Matt.

"It has missed you, too. No matter how hard Severide and I attempt to, we just can't keep the place clean like you were able to," he quipped.

Gabby gave Matt a little nudge but couldn't keep the small smile from showing, "Watch it, Casey."

Matt grinned, holding up the food. "You still hungry?"

"Yeah."

The two ate dinner with hardly any conversation. Though it wasn't an awkward silence, both just seemed too lost in their own thoughts to really speak. Matt was happy to see Gabby did indeed still have an appetite; usually whenever she was stressed, food was the last thing on her mind.

Once Gabby finished, she discarded her fork onto her plate and stood up, taking her empty dishes with her. "I'm going to go take a shower, I can still smell the gasoline on me."

Matt nodded, taking his own dishes and following her into the kitchen. "Ok. Did you want me to make you some tea or something? I can have it waiting for you?"

Gabby shook her head and turned around, nearly running into Matt. She took a step back and brushed her hand over flat stomach, not even comprehending her actions. "No, no, that's ok. Thanks, though."

"Yeah, sure."

"Ok, I'll see you in a few minutes."

Running the towel over her wet hair, Gabby walked into the adjoining bedroom and it wasn't at all surprised to see Matt sitting on his side of the bed, staring intently at his phone.

"Hey."

His head snapped up. "Hey, I didn't even hear you get out." He sat his phone down on the nightstand and stood up, meeting her halfway. "You feeling ok?"

Gabby rolled her eyes, "Just because I found out that I'm pregnant doesn't mean I'm going to suddenly start experiencing the symptoms."

"No, I know that. I just mean…." He shrugged, not sure how to word his worries. "With everything else. To be honest, I'm still a little bit shaken up so I can't even begin to imagine how you're feeling or what was going through your mind when Gish was…"

Gabby smiled and brought a hand up to the side of Matt's face, caressing his cheek. "I'm ok, Matt. I promise."

He nodded, "Good. Because I never want to come that close to losing you _ever _again." He dropped his hands from her waist and took a step back. "You know we need to talk, right?"

"Yeah." She sighed, "Can it wait, though? I just want to sleep." She eyed the queen sized bed behind her, "Care to lay with me? Or do you have to get back to work?"

He shook his head, "I told chief I was taking rest of my shift off." He framed her face in his hands and kissed her softly before pulling back. "You're my number one priority, Gabby. And I'm sorry if I ever made it seem otherwise."

Gabby nodded, her bottom lip trembling. "I'm sorry, too. I've made some choices that I regret and I..." she trailed off, "I can't be without you, Matt."

"And you won't be," Matt assured her. "I promise. We'll work this out, ok?"

"Ok." She rubbed her head, trying to ease the headache that had settled quite sometime ago.

"But right now, it's nap time." He took her hand and led her to their bed before hitting the lights and climbing in next to her.

**Literally, **_**Hanging by a fucking moment. **_

**Ok, so I really liked the crossover event and the only thing I wish I could have seen was some Dawsey interaction in the second half. I have faith they'll end up back together so I'm not even worried about that. But this was basically my take.**

**I am working on updates for How Will I Know (about halfway done. I've rewritten it twice...I'm so ridiculous) and the companion piece to Lost Then Found but I've been lacking motivation. Also, if you guys ever want to talk...my twitter is rebeccabeccabee. I should warn you, though, I'm an extremely random person. You can always follow me and message me. **

**As always, read and review! :) **


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